Lotus’ are know for being quick, nimble, lightweight and perfect for holding a keg, but all of these characteristics allowed the little sports car to get violently punted when it collided with another car. Last night a Lotus Exige and BMW 330ci knocked heads causing both cars to flip. Apparently, no one is really sure who is at fault but we do know the Exige was going straight while the BMW was attempting to turn, and both cars were traveling quite quickly. Thankfully, the drivers of both cars survived and are currently recovering. Really, I have no idea how the Lotus driver made it out but the entire car was crushed after flying across the street. This here is another reminder that we all need to be careful out there on the road, and that light cars like a Lotus can get punted.

Lotus’s are not known for being fast in a straight line; Light, small and agile, perhaps; Trunk space? Not here. One creative Lotus driver resorted to have his keg ride shotgun strapping it in with a seatbelt and all. Not a bad way to show up to a party.

“Cars That Make You Cool” is the title of a new article up on Forbes.com. I thought they must be kidding, but no. This article is the most stereotypical rich businessman’s guide to cool, it just says buy an expensive car. Forbes brought in expert, Ray Wert editor-in-chief of Jalopnik, who gave the words of wisdom. “Basically any Italian car will make you cool—with the exception of a Ferrari or a Lamborghini, those brands are so overplayed.” What does he suggests instead? Pretty much every other Italian car shown at Geneva this year. If you have to be told “what’s cool” then you don’t deserve one of these cars. These are the types of cars you should aspire to own since you were a boy. And owning one should be a moment of great accomplishment and joy. “Cars that will make you cool” is a laughable article of the most stereotypical cool cars out there.

A trailer video was recently released showing the new 2013 Lotus Esprit. With small sub-compact cars making a comeback in recent years with euro-mini’s such as the Smart Car, Mini Cooper, and Fiat , its no surprise to see Lotus coming out with a model of their own. The big difference being Lotus’ entry is attempting to create its own little niche mini-supercar catagory with their miniature models boasting huge performance numbers. Lotus says:

The ultimate Lotus returns in 2013. The latest version of the evocative Esprit continues where its forefathers had once driven. This exclusive supercar combines ultra aggressive contemporary styling with an intensive immersive driving experience, powered by an all-new supercharged, charge-cooled V8 heart giving stunning performance through light weight, in the perfect expression of Lotus supercar ownership.

Small does not always mean energy efficient, as is likely the case with the 2013 Lotus Esprit. With Americans gravitating towards the smaller vehicles and away from the mega-SUV’s, its due in part to their growing concern for the environment. Not that us tuners have ever been too concerned for the environment, it does beg the question; How well will a gas-guzzling mini-model sell in today’s environment with other small euro’s pushing 35+ miles per gallon. I suppose time will tell.

Lotus, with absolutely no help from their F1 Racing Team, has developed an F1 type race car for the sole purpose of track day events. For those with some deep pockets, £650,000 to be exact, they can pick up one of the 25 Exos Type 125’s. The car will surely move and sound like an F1 car with a 650bhp Cosworth V8 that revs up to 10,300 rpm. Unlike a typical F1 car that needs to have maintenance and a full motor overhaul after each race, the Exos Type 125 will only need maintenance every 4500km. Looking forward to see a review of how similar these are to the actual F1 racing cars.

Not only is this lightweight turbocharged, it’s also supercharged. Sporting a sexy wide-body kit, this Lotus is simply stunning. I really like how the wing-lets on the front-end mimic the design of the vents on the hood. Meticulous attention went into how well the aero augments the lines of the original Exige.

Waking up in South Florida to a beautiful beach day is something else. Waking up on a Sunday in anticipation for EuroSunday is a beautiful day in an entirely different league. Once a month 15 to 20 fathers, sons, brothers, girlfriends, and plenty of car lovers, strap in and settle into their freshly cleaned European steed Sunday morning. Having washed the car the night before or waking up at the crack of dawn the day of, there is nothing more gratifying for an enthusiast than to turn the ignition and blip the throttle on a freshly cleaned euro-exotic. We’re ready for EuroSunday!

This past Memorial weekend, euro car enthusiasts made their way to the meet-up at the Miramar Starbucks. Audi, BMW, Porsche, Lotus, Volkswagen, and Mini were all represented. We’ve had more monikers show up before; however, there was substantial variety in the motley crew that was present.

The highlight of my day was Car of the Month, Jon Silverman’s very clean white E30 M3 with too-many-to-list modifications. I especially enjoyed reading up on this well-documented bimmer, including a few paragraphs on the history of BMW’s first M3.

The red Audi B5 S4 twin turbo is also worth mentioning. A brand new Brembo BBK (Big Brake Kit) with cross-drilled rotors was a new addition since the last time I saw this car. Champion Motorsport Porsche wheels with adaptors for fitment looked right at home on the Audi. Under the bonnet, carbon fiber engine covers and high pressure boost hoses adorned the engine bay. Finishing off the rear were the dual Milltek exhaust tips sitting like they were stock.

Lastly, I would like to mention the MKI “rat-style” Jetta with the best looking drop of the day. How often does one get to see an oldie but a goodie? This project car’s life has just begun…or not!?